Motorcycle-Journal Forums - View Single Post

C2W? · 04-08-2006, 11:34 PM

700 Mile update

After 700 miles of "spirited riding on pavement ranging from (both wet and dry) "billiard table smooth" to "pothole-hell" and just about everything in between I'm 100% convinced. Most of these roads I have been riding for the past two years so I figure I'm pretty comfortable with "consistent riding for comparative purposes".

It's not my imagination . . . With the brace the front end is more precise, more supple and more controlled. What pisses me off is that I didn't find/make/install one of these 18K ago.

The little 6Fiddy with decent tires, decent fork oil, stiffer progressive springs and the brace is just plain "fun" to ride on any kind of road. Bumps, broken pavement, irregular grading, traintracks, bricks etc just doesn't phase the front end. What a "giggle" to sweep thru a set of bends with broken or choppy or irregular pavement and have the front end never lose it's poise regardless of the speed or lean angle.

Woulda - Shoulda - Couldas. . . . . I wish I'd changed the front fork springs and oil and added the brace about 18K miles ago. This is the "front end" that Suzuki should have put on the 6Fiddy in the first place.

The rear shock/spring combo has not given me any concern todate. I don't have much preload dialed in and lots of dampening. . . Seems to work well with the "modded" front end.

Someday the rear shock will begin complaining and I'll have to fork out some serious change to "upgrade" the rear end, until then I'm a "happy camper" in the suspension department.

04-08-2006, 11:34 PM	#7 (permalink)
C2W? In Training Joined: Jan 2006 Bike: "Little" 6Fiddy Location: Carlsbad (Not NM) Posts: 127	700 Mile update After 700 miles of "spirited riding on pavement ranging from (both wet and dry) "billiard table smooth" to "pothole-hell" and just about everything in between I'm 100% convinced. Most of these roads I have been riding for the past two years so I figure I'm pretty comfortable with "consistent riding for comparative purposes". It's not my imagination . . . With the brace the front end is more precise, more supple and more controlled. What pisses me off is that I didn't find/make/install one of these 18K ago. The little 6Fiddy with decent tires, decent fork oil, stiffer progressive springs and the brace is just plain "fun" to ride on any kind of road. Bumps, broken pavement, irregular grading, traintracks, bricks etc just doesn't phase the front end. What a "giggle" to sweep thru a set of bends with broken or choppy or irregular pavement and have the front end never lose it's poise regardless of the speed or lean angle. Woulda - Shoulda - Couldas. . . . . I wish I'd changed the front fork springs and oil and added the brace about 18K miles ago. This is the "front end" that Suzuki should have put on the 6Fiddy in the first place. The rear shock/spring combo has not given me any concern todate. I don't have much preload dialed in and lots of dampening. . . Seems to work well with the "modded" front end. Someday the rear shock will begin complaining and I'll have to fork out some serious change to "upgrade" the rear end, until then I'm a "happy camper" in the suspension department. __________________ Experience is a hard teacher because the test is first, the lesson afterward.